Challenges & Opportunities

Under the current system, there is no provision for registered

specialized professionals. PEng is a general registration, not a pecialized
one as required by the BNBC. So, the “Structural Engineers (SEng)
Registration Program” has been designed.
But to implement this, the first issue was that the IEB had expanded the
program without first consulting the Implementing Agency and without
following the World Bank's Terms of Reference (ToR), which explicitly
specified that only 100 participants should be chosen for the pilot
phase, of which about 50 had registered.

Additionally, the SEng Registration Program encountered significant

challenges in implementing its planned activities due to an unfair
demonstration. This demonstration was orchestrated by a group of
professionals who sought registration without completing the required
written examination. The anti-SEng movement led to widespread
confusion among professionals regarding their acceptance of the SEng
Registration Program. A television commercial (TVC) was created for the
SEng Registration Program. However, due to uncertainties surrounding
the future of the SEng registration program, the Consultants decided to
indefinitely postpone this plan.
In order to ensure policy support for resolving the conflict, the issue
was shared with the policy/decision makers in the ADP and the
Parliamentary Standing Committee meetings. Unfortunately, since the
meetings, after many months, no significant policy-level actions have
been taken to solve the problem.
Recommendations
The program's future sustainability is unclear, and there are concerns
about the Bangladesh Professional Engineering Registration Board
(BPERB) being the weakest link in this chain. In the long run, BPERB may
not meet the requirements to become the Professional Registration
Board (PRB), as architects and planners might also need registration. As
per BNBC-2020, the logical host for the PRB could be the Bangladesh
Building Regulatory Authority (BBRA). Therefore, Until the
establishment of the Bangladesh Building Regulatory Authority (BBRA),
it is advisable to create a Professional Registration Board under the
Ministry of Housing and Public Works (MoHPW). This board would
possess the authority to register prospective SEngs.
However, the sustainability of the Professional Registration Program
(PRP) or SEng depends on appropriate directions from and continuous
support of policy/decision makers, strong demand from the
professionals and practitioners themselves, and the level of awareness
of the general public.
Government officials and ministers have consistently emphasized the
need for constructing resilient factories and structures. To achieve
compliance with BNBC-2020 for resilient construction, a group of
structural engineers, certified as SEngs, is being trained. It is crucial to
promptly address any issues hindering the program's growth.